Never Let Go
by Faded Starlight
Summary: Slade's after Robin...and Robin's after Slade. Things can go terribly wrong when Starfire gets caught in the middle and has to fight for herself and her friends' lives... RobxStar
1. Loneliness

**Yes, here I am, back! I was thinking about my 'dilema' with my other story and realized I made the characters sound OOC, and the whole new girl thing...totally cliche. So this conflict/plot satisfies me much more. :) Here's chapter 1, I hope you enjoy. Definitely review! Thanks peeps. :) Hope you like it.**

Chapter 1: Loneliness

_Loneliness; ten simple letters, yet so empty._

The sky was an uncertain haze of misty gray clouds concealing the sun's rays. A cool breeze whipped through the trees, and a humid and sticky feeling was in the air. The ocean lapped against the shore loudly, the wind causing the waves to be choppy and big, mist spraying around and evaporating into the atmosphere Rain was on its way.

Starfire gazed out at the uncolorful horizon, knees hugged to her chest, eyes gleaming in amazement that the Earth could have such unpredictable weather. She didn't understand why so many Earth people despised the rain, because she loved it. It fascinated her that water droplets could actually fall from the sky and lightning could light up the horizon, and that thunder could rumble and shake houses.

She inhaled the scent of the air, detecting the smell of rain soon to come. She sighed as she exhaled, letting her feet dangle over the edge of the roof as she watched the gray clouds roll across the sky like a movie in slow motion. The sun was but a mere weak light in the distance, hidden behind puffy rainclouds. She felt slightly tired today because the sun was blocked, seeing as she got her energy from the sun. As much as Starfire loved sitting on the rooftop and listening to the wind and the waves, watching the clouds over the horizon, and inhaling the fresh air, she didn't feel humidity in the atmosphere. She felt loneliness.

How could she say it, she missed Robin. Although he still resided in the tower, and was still the leader of the team, he didn't seem to have time for anyone anymore. His obsession with Slade was becoming ridiculous and tiring for the rest of the team. He rarely came out of his room anymore, and sometimes in the middle of the night, Starfire would hear him creeping out of his bedroom to go to the room where he stored all of the villains' records to look up more information on Slade. Robin never came up to the roof anymore, leaving Starfire to watch the sunset alone. She missed hearing him talk to her softly while they watched the glowing sun sink behind the horizon, sitting near him so closely that she felt comforted by his presence; she felt safe when she was around Robin. But she knew he didn't have time for...affection. Or at least he didn't show it.

---

Starfire flew into the main room, nothing out of the ordinary. Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing their video games, Raven was reading her latest book of dark poetry. And Robin was nowhere to be seen, most likely locked away in his room once again.

"Greetings, friends," Starfire said enthusiastically.

"Hey," came her unenthusiastic response from Beast Boy and Cyborg simultaneously.

Starfire flew over to Raven, who was hovering in a cross-legged position in front of the picture window overlooking the city, concentrating deeply on her book. "Friend Raven...have you seen Robin recently?"

Raven looked up and gave her a blank look. "What do you think?" she asked dully, eyes returning to the pages of her book.

Starfire's shoulders slumped and she let her head fall to look at the ground. "I suppose that means that you have not seen him recently?" she asked quietly.

"No. And he hasn't come out to get anything to eat today." Raven gestured at a tray with a sandwich, fruit, and soda on it. "Take that to Robin. I swear he's trying to starve himself by locking himself up in his room. But I'm warning you, it's not going to be easy to get him to come out."

Starfire looked at the tray of food sitting on the table and sighed. She held it in her hands and flew out the sliding door that led to the hallway. She uneasily stopped at the heavy steel door reading "Robin" engraved at the top.

"Robin?" Starfire asked softly, lifting her hand to knock. She placed it on the door and rapped her knuckles against the surface quietly. "Robin? If you are hungry, I have brought you something to eat."

There was silence behind the door, but somehow, Starfire could sense Robin sitting at his desk, unmoving, listening to Starfire's gentle voice asking him to come out. Starfire waited for a response, but didn't receive one.

"Robin...please come out...friend Raven has prepared you something to eat, and it might be appropriate for you to come out of your room. Perhaps for a little while?"

The door slid open suddenly, startling Starfire. She stepped back. Robin stood in the doorway, exhaustion written all over his face. His posture was slouched and he looked like he hadn't gotten sleep in days. His hair was slightly rumpled, probably from running his fingers through it again and again in frustration. He stared at Starfire steadily, and Starfire stared back uneasily as she studied him, setting down the tray of food.

"Oh, Robin...you really must get some rest. I suggest that you lie down and perhaps you will feel refreshed when you wake up-" Starfire suggested, but was cut off by Robin.

"Star, I don't have time to rest. I have to figure out what Slade is planning." He started to close the door, but Starfire put her foot in between the wall and the end of the door, poking the rest of her body in the opening. "Robin, at least have something to eat," she begged, picking up the tray of food from the floor.

Robin stared at her and reluctantly took the tray of food. He stared down at it, and before he had a chance to close the door, Starfire spoke up again, looking down at her feet and blushing.

"I was hoping, Robin, that perhaps you would like to join me in a walk around the park. It is glorious outside; and I would prefer to be able to take a leisurely walk before it begins to rain-"

"Sorry, not right now. Maybe another time. I've gotta get back to work," Robin said abruptly.

"But-" The door slid shut in front of Starfire, leaving her alone in the dark hallway. She sighed, and it echoed and bounced off the walls. Loneliness. What an empty feeling.

---

**--claps-- Yeah! First chapter down! I was thinking about making it longer, but decided to end it right there. Mwahaha. Reviews are sooo appreciated, so just hit that little button down there that says 'Submit Review'. It's easy! Just click, type, and send!**

**--Faded Starlight--**


	2. Questions & Fear

**I'm so sorry for the slow update! The track season started about two weeks ago and we've been having practices every day and about three meets every week, so it's been hectic. It's finally the weekend and I'm isolating myself from society and catching up on my life, including writing this story. **

**Coming your way is Chapter two! It took me awhile to get this chapter _just_ right. I also need feedback, so this is a no-brainer; review please! Thanks to everyone who reviewed for Chapter 1!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. **

**---**

Chapter 2: Questions & Fear

_Questions; nine simple letters, yet so many go unanswered._

Starfire smiled at the children playing and laughing; careless and free of the bonds of life. She wished she could be like them: free. Free spirited and worry-free as to what will happen tomorrow, or the day after that. Worry-free of Robin and his troubles and his strange ways. Free from doubt and pain, sadness and disappointment. Those children didn't know the feeling of being so exhausted, but not being able to sleep. Or the feeling of your heart being shattered like a window being hit with a baseball. Shattered into millions and billions of pieces to the point where you feel like no one could ever tape it back together again. She knew that Robin didn't intend to, but every time his metal door slid shut in front of her face; every time he replied to her requests in a cold monotone with the harsh two-letter word, 'no', her heart broke a little more. It became repaired again when Robin apologized or came out of his 'phase', but this particular phase of Robin seemed to have no end. Which meant there was no one to heal Starfire's broken and tattered heart, which by now was broken into many more than just two pieces. It was completely shattered, and only Robin could find the pieces and tape them back together again. Only Robin.

The swing creaked as she swayed back and forth, tracing patterns in the sand with her foot as the breeze gently rocked the swing around. Questions ran through her mind; racing in her head and never stopping. Starfire first wondered why Robin acted the way he did. Why he was so obsessed with Slade and why he never refrained from his work. There were two seasons of Robin; a season in which he sat back and relaxed with his friends, and another in which he was too caught up in paperwork, training, or catching villains to even acknowledge his friends' existence.

Robin could be so diverse. He was amazing and patient and kind...yet so mysterious and unexplainable. Oftentimes, Starfire would find herself worrying about Robin when he began his Slade Phase again...because it seemed to worsen each time. She'd confronted Raven about these concerns, but Raven simply told her it was a well-known phase Robin went through-- The Slade Obsession. She assured Starfire that it would pass soon enough, but Starfire wasn't so sure. Robin no longer ate, slept, or spent time out of his room. She hadn't had a fun time with him in what seemed to be forever. For those exact reasons she'd asked him to come to the park with her. She missed _Robin._ She knew that surely this couldn't be the Robin she had gotten to know over the past years. She missed hearing his laugh, feeling his gentle touch, hearing his caring voice explaining new things to her; she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him smile...

Starfire sighed and absentmindedly began to write Robin's name in the sand. How she loved to say his name: _Robin._ Such a mystifying name that made Starfire consider it each time she said it. Robin; he was a bird waiting to take flight...to fly away from his problems. Starfire was going to help him take his mind off of Slade; to soar over the ground and meet with the clouds, to be free from his troubles and no longer chained down to be a slave of obsession.

A low rumble of thunder roared in the distance, shaking Starfire out of her brief reverie. Small squeals were heard causing Starfire to curiously look up. Little kids scurried to their parents as the first raindrops fell from the sky. The rain came down faster immediately in a downpour, the raindrops slapping on the ground, playing a song. Lightning lit up the sky and shone light on the park, illuminating shadows and playground equipment. She was the only one left in the park, and she suddenly felt lonely and slightly afraid. Her drenched clothes stuck to her body as she silently got off of the creaking swing. A breeze whipped through the empty park, making the now vacant swings creak and move back and forth as if a ghost was rocking back and forth on one of them, trying to taunt Starfire.

Attempting to fly would be useless; she'd tried it on her way to the park, but her emotions weren't cooperating with her wishes. She knew when she felt distressed or distraught, flying would be an impossible request until she regained her composure and got her emotions back in-check. Until then, walking would work out just fine. Her happy thoughts seemed to be lost in a whirlwind of emotions at the moment.

The idea of being back at the tower warmed her heart slightly, and made the corners of her mouth pull into a small smile at the thought of Beast Boy and Cyborg fighting over whether or not to have a tofu or non-tofu dinner, Raven slinging very snappy comebacks at their idiotic behavior and threatening to hurt them. Starfire shrugged; it was what made her feel secure, knowing her friends' true personalities. Robin, however, was so different to explain. She was looking forward to seeing him, and she thought of a plan about how to get him out of his room and relax. Just seeing him smile again would be enough to make _her_ smile again.

Starfire thought of the reassuring and amusing behavior of her friends as she sloshed through the soggy ground, hair matted to her face. She pushed her drenched bangs out of her face, seeing as they were hanging obnoxiously in her eyes. The thunder and lightning suddenly no longer existed to her, as long as she was thinking deeply about the people whom she loved the most.

She couldn't ignore the sudden and eerie sound of footsteps behind her, however. Starfire whirled around, but saw no one. She smiled weakly and told herself that her imagination was acting up because of her current emotional condition. She seemed to be getting a little paranoid, but nonetheless, she turned around and continued her walk back to the tower. The muffled sound of footsteps perked up her ears once again. She looked over her shoulder, heart beating faster, adrenaline pumping. No one was in sight. Quickening her pace slightly, she tried to convince herself that she was just imagining things; and she prayed that she was right.

The footsteps were coming closer, and Starfire whipped around one last time. A figure was standing about a hundred meters away from her. Her heart was hammering madly as she realized one thing: this person was following her.

---

Robin groggily lifted his head up off his desk, rubbing his temples. He saw the bright red numbers on his clock flashing as they read ' 9:03 P.M.' Robin mentally kicked himself for falling asleep in the middle of his research, slamming his fist on his desk. How could he have just dozed off on the job? Slade could be anywhere and Robin was _sleeping._

Robin sighed loudly as he got up from his chair, stretching his arms and glancing at his steel door, sealed shut. His throat was parched for thirst; the last thing he'd had to drink was what Starfire had given him a few hours ago. He supposed that a few minutes away from his research wouldn't hurt too much. He entered the code and the door slid open, revealing the empty and dark hallway. Robin began making his way down to the main room, stifling a yawn as his consciousness began to recover.

When Robin arrived in the main room, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven all stared at him in bewilderment.

"Yo, Robin, you finally decided to come out of your room, huh?" Cyborg observed.

"I was just getting a drink and stretching," he replied stubbornly, walking over to the fridge. He looked up at his friends staring at him, and noticed that Starfire was nowhere to be found. "Where's Star?" he asked, taking a water bottle and gulping it down.

"She went to the park," Beast Boy answered his question nonchalantly.

Robin almost choked on his water. "Alone?" he croaked, his eyes widening.

"She said she asked you to come with her but you 'rather harshly and unpleasantly' turned her down," Raven quoted, looking up from her book.

Fear swarmed into Robin's mind and he felt guilt quickly entering, as well. "She went...alone?"

Cyborg nodded slowly. "Yeah man, I think that's what we just said..."

Robin slammed his fist on the counter for the second time in the last five minutes. "How could she have gone _alone? _Who knows what could happen to her..."

"Dude, chill. What's the worst that could happen to her?" Beast Boy spoke up. Robin looked out the window and saw the rain pouring down and a lightning flash.

"I'm not even going to answer that question," Robin answered coldly under his breath. He quickly turned to Raven and asked, "How long ago did she leave?"

"A few hours ago, more or less," Raven replied, turning a page in her book.

Robin ran a hand through his hair in a distraught manner. "I'm going to look for her. You guys stay here in case I need you." He ran out the front door and it slid shut behind him.

There was silence until Beast Boy spoke up, "Is it just me, or is Robin acting kind of freaky?"

Cyborg shook his head. "He can be that way, sometimes."

Beast Boy started to laugh obnoxiously as he looked at Raven. "Not nearly as freaky as Raven, though." Raven looked up from her book, giving him a glare that could make anyone have nightmares for the next month. The power suddenly went out, and the three sat in darkness.

Raven's voice spoke out of the shadows, "That wasn't from the storm, Beast Boy, I assure you."

---

A fuzzy and crackling screen was all Robin got as he ran to the park, holding his communicator in his hand as he tried to contact Starfire. _If anything happened to her...it's all my fault,_ he thought as he approached the park. Not a single soul was in sight; everything was left looking empty and desolate. Robin squinted through the rain as he scanned his eyes back and forth to look for a sign of Starfire.

"Starfire!" he called, holding his hands up to his mouth to project his voice. "Starfire!" He paused and waited, getting no response, and seeing no fiery red hair and glowing green eyes emerging from anywhere. Not a single sign of anything.

Robin continued his hasty walk through the park, looking at the ground for footsteps. Although the ground was soggy and puddles were forming everywhere, he was able to make out a familiar shape of a slender boot embedded in the thick mud. His breath got caught in his throat and he bent down and studied the footprint, having no doubt that it belonged to Starfire. Not too far away from it was a larger, thicker footprint. Robin got on his knees further and stared at the footprint. His heart seemed to completely stop, however, when he saw the familiar emblem of a pointed, intimidating looking _"S"_ preserved in the mud in the middle of the footprint.

_Fear; four simple letters, yet so difficult to conquer._

Eyes widened to the point where his mask looked like two giant _O_'s, one of his most feared thoughts crossed his mind: Slade had captured Starfire. And it was all his fault.

---

**Oh, now there's a big cliffhanger for you right there. This chapter turned out to be a little longer than I intended it to be, but hey, whatever, the longer the better, right?**

**For those of you who may not have understood the whole power outage thing at Titans Tower when Raven said, 'That wasn't from the storm, Beast Boy, I assure you', it was being implied that Raven's emotions suddenly burst out of control when Beast Boy insulted her, thus making the power go out. Tell me if that didn't make sense, but I hope it did and I thought most people would get it.**

**I hope this chapter was very satisfying to all of you, and please, please, please review! Feedback is what keeps me going! **

**--Faded Starlight--**


	3. Guilt

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans...but neither do you, so **_**ha.**_

---

Chapter 3: Guilt

Cyborg breathed a sigh of relief as he managed to hook the power back up again. The lights soon flicked on, illuminating the tower. He wiped his hands together as if he were brushing off imaginary dust, walking back into the front room. "I'd say the power's workin' okay, now," he proclaimed proudly, standing in the doorway.

Raven remained silent as she continued to meditate, hovering above the ground and muttering, 'Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos'. Beast Boy sprung from the couch, immediately plugging in his video games.

Cyborg walked further into the room when he noticed a message alert flashing on his mechanical arm. He punched a button, and Robin appeared on the small screen on his robotic forearm.

"Yo, Robin, what's the news on Star?" he asked. Beast Boy and Raven turned around after they heard Cyborg ask about Starfire, both curious and also beginning to get worried about her, themselves.

Robin's face was grim and serious as he replied, "She's gone, Cyborg. I don't know what happened to her. But I have a pretty good guess," he added bitterly.

Cyborg's heart sank when Robin reported the bad news and quickly asked, "What?"

"Slade," Robin sneered, flipping his communicator shut, leaving Cyborg staring at a fuzzy screen.

---

Grogginess...achiness...confusion...

_Where am I?_ Starfire thought as her eyes slowly opened. Dizziness overwhelmed her body, and she slowly sat up, holding a hand to her head. She felt lightheaded and woozy, trying to recall what had happened. She cringed as she struggled to sit up, her muscles aching in pain.

A sudden memory brought Starfire out of her confusion and into realization.

_Slade._

As if on cue, Slade's footsteps echoed in the empty warehouse. Starfire froze in fright as she heard them slowly getting closer. She automatically sprung to her feet, although her muscles were sore. Her heart started beating faster, her palms moist. Although she was terrified, she stood in a prepared stance for whatever might come her way.

"Ah, Starfire. I see you have awoken," Slade commented, his eerie voice echoing and bouncing off the walls.

Starfire ignored his comment. "What do you want?" she demanded, her voice weak and hinting her fright, even though she intended for it to come out strong and defiant.

Slade was now a few feet away from Starfire, standing with his hands behind his back in a relaxed manner. He laughed darkly, making Starfire cringe. "You don't expect me to tell _you_ my plan, do you?" he said monotonously, slowly circling around Starfire like a vulture.

Even though Starfire was naive, she knew Slade intended for that to be a rhetorical question, so she didn't answer and stared at him coldly. "Then why have you taken me here?" she asked instead, clutching her fists.

Slade fell silent for a few moments, almost as if he were contemplating how to reply. He finally said after a slight hesitation, "Stupid girl, I don't want _you._" He paused again.

"I want _Robin_."

---

Robin burst through the doors of Titans Tower, his hair matted to his face and his clothes clinging to his body. "TITANS, EMERGENCY!" he shouted, running into the front room. Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy were already situated in the front room, staring at Robin wide-eyed.

"You didn't find Star?" Beast Boy asked quietly, looking down sadly at the ground.

Robin didn't respond to Beast Boy and looked straight at Cyborg. "Cyborg, you heard me. Slade has Starfire. Haven't you picked up any clues as to where they are?"

Cyborg looked up from the computer monitor. "Sorry man, not a single sign so far. Slade was smart and destroyed her communicator. He must have somehow messed with the tracking device on Star's uniform, 'cause I'm not getting _anything_," he replied apologetically, typing some codes on the computer and still getting no results. Cyborg turned around in his chair and looked at Robin. "How about you; did you find any clues or evidence?"

Robin's eyes narrowed. "No. Nothing." He clutched his fist in anger, pacing around the room. A silence fell upon the titans until Raven broke it.

"I'm going to try and reach her," she announced, hovering over the ground and closing her eyes. All eyes were on Raven as she deeply concentrated, trying to get through to Starfire. After a few minutes of silence, Raven spoke up in an irritable voice, "I can't get through to her. There's some sort of distraction blocking her mind."

"I bet you she was drugged and now her thoughts are foggy," Cyborg spoke up.

_Guilt; five simple letters, yet it never seems to disappear._

Robin let out a groan. "This is all my fault. How could I have just...let her go alone? If anything ever happens to her, I'll _never_ forgive myself," he mumbled, pacing back and forth and running a hand through his wet hair. "I've got to find her," he said loudly as he looked up. "_We've_ got to find her."

"Dude, Robin, it's almost midnight," Beast Boy spoke up.

"I wouldn't care if there was a hurricane on its way! We've _got_ to find her!" he yelled, punching the wall. "I just can't let Slade hurt Starfire! I just can't!" he continued, saying the word 'Slade' as if it were a curse word.

"Robin, we all care about Starfire just as much as you do, it's just that it's late, and we tried but just couldn't -"

"Couldn't help the one person who doesn't deserve what she's gotten? We're all just too pathetic to help one of our best friends?" Robin spat, his face becoming furious.

"Robin, Starfire will be fine. In the morning we'll find her," Raven told him, staring at him steadily. Robin glared at her, and finally said, "No. I'm going to find her _now_. And if you guys want to come with me, fine. But if you don't-" Robin paused, "then be that way." He exited the room and ran to the garage to get on his motorcycle.

The remaining three sat in a bitter silence.

That was the only time they could truly say that they'd experienced a deafening silence.

---

"Robin?" Starfire asked incredulously, eyes widening. "Why do you want Robin?" she demanded.

Slade clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk, being nosy is not very polite."

Starfire clutched her fists again, repeating her question. "What do you want with him?" she said, crisply pronouncing every syllable.

"I always thought you were smart, for an alien. I thought you had already figured it out, but I suppose not," he said dryly, pausing. "You know all too well, I'm sure, that I have been after Robin for quite awhile. He thought he was being tricky all of those other times he got away from me...but I finally figured out his weakness."

He turned his head sharply and stared at Starfire.

"After much observation, it has come to my attention that his weakness is quite manifest."

He smirked under his mask.

"That obvious weakness of his, my dear, is _you_."

---

**DUN DUN DUN...another cliffy! Sorry if the writing in this chapter sucked, tell me in your review if it did. Thanks to all of my reviewers, you guys are the ones who are helping me along. Hope you liked it and please ****REVIEW**

**--Faded Starlight--**


	4. Realization

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.**

---

Re-cap:

_"You know all too well, I'm sure, that I have been after Robin for quite awhile. He thought he was being tricky all of those other times he got away from me...but I finally figured out his weakness."_

_He turned his head sharply and stared at Starfire._

_"After much observation, it has come to my attention that his weakness is quite manifest."_

_He smirked under his mask._

_"That obvious weakness of his, my dear, is you."_

---

Chapter 4: Realization

Time seemed to stand still in this moment, as Slade's words banged around in Starfire's head. It was confusing - it was as if she had known all along that Robin had a weak spot for her, and yet, that she wasn't aware of it; all at the same time. How could she have been so...blind? Even though she wanted to show Slade no vulnerability, not even a hint of fear, and give him a strong, sturdy answer to his observation, all that came out was, "Me?" She could hear her voice waver, and she knew that as strong as she wanted to sound, she was scared to death.

Slade glanced at her coldly, and a shiver ran down her spine. He began to pace around her once again, taking slow, steady steps.

"Stupid girl," he mumbled. "I know that you are aware of Robin's weakness for you." He paused. "And I know that _you_ have a weakness for Robin, as well. You can't trick me; I'm not a fool, like your little Robin."

Starfire frowned, clenching her fists. "Robin is _not_ a fool!" she shouted.

Slade stared at her knowingly, and Starfire's heart sank when she realized that she'd just revealed her weakness to the titans' worst enemy.

Trying to change the subject, Starfire asked, "If you want Robin, then what good will it do for you to hold me hostage?"

Slade laughed, making Starfire feel stupid. She didn't like it when people laughed at her; most of the time people laughed at her for the way she used words together, or certain questions she would query about. But this time, Slade wasn't laughing at her naïve and innocent personality - he was laughing because he had his plan all figured out, but Starfire didn't have a single clue as to what kind of plan he was devising.

And that's the thought that made Starfire terrified.

After Slade's short laugh subsided, he looked into Starfire's confused and frightened eyes. Quite suddenly, he darted forward and scooped her up by the neck, gripping it firmly as he held her above the ground at arm's length.

"You think you're being held..._hostage?_" he whispered, narrowing his eyes.

Starfire squeezed her eyes shut and held her hands up by Slade's strong grip, trying to pry his fingers off of her neck. "I - will not - be - the...bait," she choked between words.

"I know that if I keep you here...your friends will come for you sooner or later. And among your friends is...Robin - the one who I _truly_ want."

Starfire groped her hands by her neck, grunting. "If you - wish for - me...to work for - you...I will not."

Slade narrowed his eyes as Starfire said darkly, "I would - rather..._die_ than work - for you." Slade pulled Starfire closer to him as he hissed, "How about your friends? Would you want _them_ dead?"

Starfire's eyes widened. How could she have not seen this coming?

Slade suddenly released his grip on her neck and tossed her carelessly down. She landed roughly on the cold, hard ground, landing on her arm. She squeezed her eyes shut in pain as a painful sensation went up her arm, and she leaned up slightly, holding her neck with one of her hands and breathing slowly, swallowing hard.

"I won't have you work for me," Slade spoke in his monotone. "I will only have you do a few...errands. That is, if you want your friends to live."

"You - you are bluffing!" Starfire shouted, her voice trembling. "You cannot kill them; they are strong!"

"Ah, but I have _you_, my dear. Once they realize that I have you, they will do _anything_ to assure that you go unharmed." He turned his back to her. "Your friend, Robin is becoming so predictable...that it almost is too easy to figure him out."

Starfire only listened silently, narrowing her eyes to slits as she heard Slade's words. Her eyes began to glow a neon green, and she whipped around, shooting a laserbeam at Slade. He only stepped aside, not even breaking a sweat in the process.

He turned his head. "You have poor aim." He looked thoughtfully at the burnt spot in the wall where Starfire's eye beam had crashed into. "Tomorrow at 5 o'clock A.M., I expect you to be in this exact place, ready to train."

Slade glanced at her with an evil glint in his eye. "I want to see what you can do."

---

Starfire sat on the cold, hard ground, looking out the small, broken window. Lightning flashes lit up the streets of the city and thunder shook the warehouse.

She gazed out at the street.

_Freedom was just a few yards away._

But she knew better than that.

She hugged her knees close to her chest, resting her chin on top. Everything had been flipped upside-down. Nothing seemed right...it was all so...perplexing. Here she was; Starfire - member of the Teen Titans, Tamaranian princess. She has super strength, the ability to fly, shoot laserbeams from her eyes, and also shoot starbolts. She has saved countless people from fires, falling buildings, evil villains, and pretty much everything else any human being could possibly imagine. People always tell her that she's 'brave' and 'seemingly fearless'.

Then why was she so scared?

She leaned against the cot she was designated to sleep on and inhaled deeply.

_This is not a good situation to be in._

Starfire sat up again. She had to get some things straight:

-First of all, here she was, captured by Slade.

-But he really wanted Robin,

-And Starfire was just...the bait?

-Slade insists that Starfire is _not_ a hostage,

-Even though Starfire already feels like it will turn out to be like that.

-And if Starfire doesn't cooperate with Slade,

-Even though she would rather die than work for Slade,

-If she chooses _not_ to 'do errands' for him (errands, in Slade's book, most likely meaning evil tasks)

-Slade claims he'll kill the titans.

_Pretty simple, no big deal._

---

Robin was sick...

of searching.

He was tired; his eyes seemed to be half open. His muscles were sore, he was cold from the torrential downpour, his R-cycle had run out of fuel, and worst of all:

Starfire was missing.

_His_ Starfire. The Starfire who he couldn't _live_ without. The Starfire who made his day _happy _when he felt like crumbling to pieces. The Starfire who _always_ made him feel needed.

The Starfire he _loved._

_Realization; eleven simple letters, yet so difficult to comprehend._

Robin sat miserably on the curb, jerking off his helmet. His R-cycle was now useless - at least until he got more gasoline - and he felt as if he, himself, was just the same.

Useless.

---

**I owe everyone a huge apology - I haven't updated in like, a million years. My body has gone into summer mode, which makes me pretty lazy. It's an epidemic sweeping throughout the nation - The Summer Epidemic. I just got back home from a short vacation, and the first thing that was on my mind (besides sleeping) was this: **_**update, must update!**_** So, here I am, with a new update. I hope it was satisfactory, and uhmm, yeah: review!**

**--Faded Starlight--**


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